Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Day 3 - Part 2 - The Croydon Plantation

The view over the banana trees to mountains on the other side of island,

The call this plant "Sexy Red"

Coffee! We were given an complete lesson on growing, picking and roasting coffee.

Who knew coffee trees (actually more like a bush) were so sensitive. They don't let them grow too tall because the beans are still all hand picked, and it's a delicate process.

Another picture of the banana trees

Our guide talking about the several types of sugar cane they grown and their uses. The dark sugar cane grows best on this island - and is the one used to produce rum.

The Ackee trees are very pretty - they look like fruit, but the Jamaicans treat them as a vegetable. The "national dish" is Ackee fried up with Salt Cod.

There are also around 8 varieties of pineapples grown on the plantation. We sampled a fresh cut one that was incredibly juicy and very tasty

The pineapple below is a decorative plant, when you break into it there is no fruit. People like the plant and use it as a shrub in their yards.

More beautiful flowers and scenery

We were told the mountains in the distance are the Blue Mountains where the well known Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is grown.

These trees are called the Flame of the Forest. The grow on the side of the mountains to about 7 to 9 feet and their flowers are at the top where they get the best sun. My pictures don't do justice to the intense color of the flowers.